The King of Tartarus
by CallistoJackson
Summary: Five years ago, Percy Jackson sacrificed himself to close the Doors of Death, sparing Annabeth the same fate. Now, Annabeth leads Camp Half-Blood and it's new city, forced to shoulder the burden of families' lives and a still unsteady union with the Romans. Percy remains trapped in Tartarus, surviving Gaea's forces, and now must depend on an unlikely ally to escape. M b/c paranoid
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians or The Heroes of Olympus, by Rick Riordan, or Supernatural. I'm not that creative or talented. Please read Author's Note at bottom.

"Unicorn!" a small girl screamed, staring at the startled white horse.

"Yay!" another cried beside her, clapping her small hands together with glee. "Whets ride it!"

The pale unicorn whinnied, a frightened expression in its eyes as it turned and galloped off. The toddlers didn't seem to mind much, though, as they joyfully chased after the beast, their sequels echoing through New Athens.

Annabeth Chase watched on from a distance in amusement, smiling as the two girls stumbled across the pavilion. Having unicorns around was still a bit of a shock, as no one really believed they existed until Camp Jupiter offered a few as a symbol of peace; teaching the Greeks how to use their horns for medical purposes. Camp Half-Blood, in turn, taught the Romans how to ride Pegasi and to use them in battle.

In fact, since both camps had established a peaceful co-existence, they had exchanged many ideas and tactics, as well as created lasting friendships. One such idea Annabeth had taken away was a Greek version of Camp Jupiter's New Rome; a small city she and the Camp had named "New Athens". Just as New Rome was a place where Roman half-bloods could leave peaceful for the rest of their lives, New Athens became an optional safe haven for older Greek demigods.

Its construction begin not long after the Second Giant War, soon after the Greeks and Romans made their peace (and after the Romans nearly burnt down the entire camp). After five long years, it was still expanding and being put together, Annabeth collaborating with the Roman builders on its designs and many buildings.

Annabeth had rarely gotten a decent night's sleep. Being the official architect of Olympus, working on new designs and ideas for New Athens, and _still_ working on new cabins for Camp Half-Blood had so far been a draining and tiring experience.

And she had to admit, she loved every minute of it. Creating new schematics and blueprints helped her take her mind off everything else around her, and everything that had happened. Basic meaning: it helped her to hold it all together and not completely brake down multiple times a day. The pain had dulled and the nightmares had become slightly less frequent, but the pain was still there.

She'd learned to shove the memories into the very back of her mind, constructing a thick and sturdy wall to hold them at bay. During the day, she kept her mind occupied by her work and immersing herself in her friends. But at night, no matter how much she denied it, the past still haunted her. The monsters of Tartarus still hunted her, and Gaia continued to taunt her.

Annabeth sighed, shaking the thoughts from her head. She would _not _let the scars show. She was Annabeth Chase, daughter of Athena, Hero of Olympus, the leader of Camp Half-Blood. People looked up to her, asked her for advice. She'd endured the worst that any Half-Blood could face and come out the other end alive. She was a survivor, and it was her duty to be strong. She wouldn't be broken.

"Come on Blackjack," she said, patting the black pegasi's muscled shoulder, "I promised we'd welcome in some new families." Blackjack whinnied, and Annabeth once again found herself wishing she could understand him. He ruffled his feathers, forcing himself into a gallop as he made his way down Half-Blood Hill, Dashing towards the shining marble of New Athens in the distance.

The city was at the other end of Camp, to the West across the new property lines. Annabeth and Blackjack swiftly passed through the near entirety of the valley, passing waving campers and playing children as they neared the Gateway.

Blackjack slowed as they neared the two giant, 15 foot celestial bronze statues guarding the city's entrance. Both had been secretly made by the Hephaestus cabin after the war was over, and each depicted a demigod sitting atop a rearing pegasus, the horse's wings meeting in the middle to form somewhat of an arch. The one on the right was Annabeth herself, her dagger at her side with her laptop case slung over her shoulder. An owl perched on her case, staring out across the hills. She wore a wide grin, her hair curling in the wind. It was truly an amazing sight, but in Annabeth's mind, nothing compared to the one next to it; mainly because of her insistence of personally adding to it.

Resting to the left was Percy's immortalized glory. He was riding Blackjack, Riptide brandished and held out as if in the midst of battle, as well as a replica of Tyson's shield hanging on his left arm. Waves curled around the Pegasi's hind legs. A bronze minotaur horn hung at Blackjack's side. Percy showed off a large smile as well, warming to his friends and daring to his enemies. At the base of both Pegasi's hooves lay tokens of their shared quests: Zeus's Master Bolt, the Golden Fleece, Artemis's bow, a small model of the labyrinth, the Empire State Building, and quite a few more.

Sighing, she painfully motioned Blackjack over to the towering monument to Percy, stopping at its base to stare at the golden plaque. Well, on each there was multiple plaques around the mammoth rectangular base, each describing certain quests, events and displaying a small bio. Yet this wasn't even the true memorial; Annabeth was still working on a special plan for that one.

Annabeth took a short moment to hop off Blackjack's back and stare up at the statue. It was a painful sight; one that constantly reminded her of the loss she had been force to endure. Yet it also spoke of a hope, a reminder of a promise.

She took out her necklace, running a finger over the bright coral pendent Percy had given her as a present during their early time as a couple. "Alright, Seaweed Brain. You promised me. You promised you'd find a way. Well, it's been five years, and I promise you I'm still waiting."

**A/N: Hey guys! If you're reading this, thanks for surviving the first chapter! This story is a work in progress, with my ideas usually coming up as I go. Constructive criticism is welcomed, and notice I say _constructive_. Please be kind, this is my first story :). I'll probably edit this story a lot as I go along. I'm not quite sure yet how far I'll go into the Supernatural crossover, since this is mainly Percy Jackson. Please review! Again, thanks for reading, and if you made it to the end of this, here's an invisible blue cookie!**


	2. The King of Tartarus

**A/N: Hey guys! First and Foremost: HAPPY BIRTHDAY PERCY JACKSON! BLUE CAKE FOR EVERYONE! It had to be said. So this chapter is Percy's POV in Tartarus, and since we still have to wait an agonizing two months, and have no real description of Tartarus, this is just my interpretation based off the HoH cover.**

Chapter I

(Percy POV, First Person)

"Fear the King of Tartarus," the voices whisper in the shadows. It's constantly repeated, a warning echoed by a few voices.

"Back to your holessss," a serpentine voice hisses, then calls out "Perssseusssss, you cannot hide forever. Come quickly, and your death will be far lessssss painful."

I almost chuckle. Like Gaea would have any mercy, especially when it came to me. I can only have nightmares about the horrible things the Earth Goddess would do if I gave myself up: burning me alive (which could take a while), feeding me to the hellhounds (almost happened a couple times, not eager to try again), or whatever else she could think. I still think she's not all that happy I took down a couple of her kids, either.

I allow my eye enough space only to peek around the corner of my hiding place. It's a small search group (well, small for some of the others I've seen), made up of about twenty monsters. Merged in with the brigade are a couple dark centaurs, some Scythian Dracanae, a grumbling Cyclops, and a mini pack of hellhounds milling at the edges, their twitching noses to the ground.

At this point, they're about five feet below me in the valley, slowly approaching the target position. The pooling lava that runs down the rocky hills illuminates the hellhound's razor sharp claws and fangs, their bright red eyes glowing intimidatingly. As they near, I can hear their eager snarls, ready to attack anything in sight. But I know they wouldn't dare kill me, not yet. Gaea wouldn't be happy about that. But that's not to say none of them would like to have any 'fun'.

Once they get within thirty feet, I take a deep breath, strengthen my hold on Riptide, and push myself from the shadows of my boulder, walking to the edge of the tiny cliff, becoming within full sight of the monsters.

As planned, they easily spot me, stopping not far in front of my mound's rocky base. The lead Dracanae's green lips pull into a devilish grin, fangs poking out. "Perssseussss Jasksssson," she says in a voice that sends a chill down my spine, "Ssssso glad you've finally decided to come out of hiding. Come with usssss, demigod, and the Mistress will show mercy."

I glance around through the corners of my eyes, watching some of the shadows shift around the volcanic walls. Time to stall.

"Why should I believe what you say?" I shout, uncapping Riptide. The plastic pen lengthens into a three foot blade of monster killing celestial bronze. I grip the hilt with both hands, pulling it so the blade meets the middle of my face. The shadows move again, but none of Gaea's little task force take notice. All their eyes stick to me.

The Dracanae waves her hand. "She still believes you have use, demigod. If you join the Earth Mother's forces, ssssshe will forget your past sinsssss. And, Sssson of Possseidon, you would one again gain what you most desssire. You would be returned to her."

I almost flinch at her mention of Annabeth. An image instantly comes to mind: her blonde hair waving around like crazy with tears streaking down her face as she begs me not to through with my plan. I shake my head, pushing it to the back of my mind. I can't let that distract me now. "Yeah, I can see it now; me and your Mistress having a nice chat while she slowly burns me alive then throws me to Spot and Fido." I nod towards the black dogs, who growl in response.

The serpent woman shakes her head, that same darks smile covering her face. "What life do you have here; consssstantly hunted, forced to look over your shoulder every second of your day? Here, you are no more than a single mouse in a cage filled with cats. The Mistressssss offers ssafe haven, so long as you conform to her wishes. And in time, perhapsssss she would return you to the home you ssssso longingly misssss."

"Tell Gaea thanks for the invite," I say waving my sword to the right, the final signal, "but I'm not the one who should be afraid. We're tired of being pushed around."

"We?" One of the dark centaurs ask, confusion spreading across his face as well as that of his companions. They have little time to react as the clop of hooves against stone echoes through the valley, a cream colored pegasus galloping to a rest be my side. I quickly wrap an arm around her neck, pulling myself onto her broad back. Without wasting any more time, I raise Riptide above my head and yell "For Olympus!" at the top of my lungs.

The reaction is immediate. Horns sound from the shadows, a thunderous chorus of hooves soon drowning them out. The grin soon fades from the lead Dracanae's smug face as she realizes her mistake. "It's an ambush!" the enemy Cyclops howls, wielding his five-foot spiked club.

"Don't you think I know that, you idiot!" the Dracanae screeches. "Fall back you foolsss!" The centaurs turn, nearly trampling the roaming hellhounds, who are currently scrambling around in a panic.

Figures of all different builds and shapes burst from the darkness: centaurs wielding bows and long swords, Cyclopes swinging clubs, and unicorns, their horns fitted in celestial bronze, charge their foes.

"Let's go, Andromeda," I whisper to my pegasus. She rears, belting out a fierce whiny as she spreads her enormous feathered wings and leaps down into the midst of the battle. A confused hellhound instantly spears itself on my sword, disintegrating into swirling black smoke. I've found monsters in Tartarus tend to do that; they become a dark mist and usually reform somewhere near the place where they first entered Tartarus. It basically means that every time I go into battle, I'm left hoping that some cyclops doesn't suddenly land on me. Yep, the great Perseus Jackson, Hero of Olympus, survives five years in the deepest, darkest pit of Hades only to be crushed by a random Cyclops butt. Oh, the joys of being a demigod.

"Ahhhh!" a loud grunt echoes off to my right as a dark centaur barrels into Andromeda, sending both of us deeper into the fray. I'm knocked off her back, somersaulting into a crouch while trying to avoid being trampled. Before I can regain my balance, he slashes his dark long sword in a frontward arc, a shadowy blur that grazes my left arm and takes out one of his own brethren as he follows through with the swing. He doesn't seem to care much though, as he lowers his horned head towards Andromeda, aiming for her neck.

I almost leap in to parry, but my wounded arm is slammed by a stray monster, and I'm left reeling from the pain. But as usual, she doesn't' really need my help. Momentarily exposing her stomach, my pegasus flips onto her back, using the momentum to twist around and kick the horseman straight in the forehead with her hind hooves. An ugly cracking sound follows, as well as a bellow of agony as he stumbles back, dropping his sword and pulling his hands to his inured face. He makes the mistake of rearing, and the unfortunate centaur is shish-ka-bobbed on a unicorn's coated horn, his form dissolving into shadow.

None of us really have any opportunity to revel in the small victory, though, as the enormous cyclops that had been traveling with the group was pummeling our small rebellion. His spiked club connects perfectly with an allied centaur's chest, sending him rocketing into a small group of our own before fading into the darkness.

Andromeda gets to her hooves, shaking out her mane. _You alright ?_she asks me telepathically, stretching out her wings.

_I'm fine_, I lie, working my left shoulder. I readjust my breastplate and bracers. Nothing here's really a perfect fit, but beggars can't be choosers. We've all learned to take what you can get. I turn to Andromeda, already standing tall and ready for action. _Ready to take out another one?_ I ask her.

She snorts, pawing (or hoofing?) at the ground. _As long as you've practiced your aim, _she challenges as she lowers herself down, giving me the opportunity to pull myself up with my right arm and get a good and painful grip on her mane with one hand while brandishing Riptide with the other. I raise my sword arm, yelling at the top of my lungs "Fall back!"

My allies turn and charge in different directions, moving the smaller skirmishes away from the behemoth of a Cyclops. He snarls, turning his one bloodshot eye to me and beating the base of his club in the palm of his hand. His body is covered in dull and slightly rusted armor, the same as his own allies; obviously not one of Gaea's elite. This sign only strengthens my belief: the great Earth Goddess still isn't taking me seriously. That's alright by me, it only means we still have surprise on our side.

Following the classic Cyclops strategy, the ugly beast growls and barrels toward me, club outstretched. I see Andromeda roll her eyes, shaking her head slightly. As soon as he gets within a few meters, she begins galloping towards him, rapidly getting closer. She gets a little too close for my comfort as she uses her powerful hind legs to launch off the ground like a springboard, using the momentum from her run to leap over his shoulder, landing gracefully on the other side.

Andromeda immediately swivels around on her back hoof, crouching down and spreading her wings. The Cyclops takes a little longer to slow down, stopping himself with a boulder and swinging around, bellowing some curses I really shouldn't repeat. Before he can make another move, a voice hisses from the crowd "Stop you fool!" The same Dracanae who'd spoken earlier slithers out from the raging battle, a scowl contorting her green skinned face. "The Mistress wants him _alive_."

One-eye huffs. "She won't mind if he's only maimed a little bit." He puts his meaty fingers in the air, pinching them together.

"He musssst be brought back in one piece!" She hisses, her forked tongue lashing.

While the Cyclops's attention is turned away, I pat Andromeda's side. She quickly takes off, closing the distance in mere seconds. Before the big dope can even react, I slash Riptide across his scarred knee, leaving a deep gash. He bellows in pain, collapsing on his right side.

I take a hold of her neck and fling myself to her right side, now only half on her back. By this time, he's just blinded by fury, his weapon slamming into whatever unfortunate monster that comes close enough. We gallop past him again, moving far out ahead. He looks up at us, snarling as he white-knuckles his club. I have a feeling at this moment that he doesn't give a crap about what Gaea's orders were.

Andromeda makes a fast U-turn, now charging full speed while trying to balance me on her right. The injured Cyclops finds the strength to pick himself off the ground, starting to lumber towards us.

_Really hope he doesn't move too much,_ I think out loud.

Andromeda whinnies underneath me, still partially struggling with my uneven weight. _Your confidence really reassures me._

I glance down at her. We're roughly ten yards away and closing. _You sure you can pull this off?_

She snorts. _Haven't you learned by now? Never underestimate me._ She says (thinks?) it so confidently I start to believe her.

The final few feet comes up to meet us and just as the first time, Andromeda leaps up to his shoulder. This time though, I let go of her neck, landing right on target as I plunge Riptide into the Cyclops's one large eye. It makes a sick squelching sound, and it's soon met by a howl unlike any I've ever heard, before being cut off as he disintegrates.

I'm left panting on the ground where he stood, trying to collect myself again. Andromeda canters up to me, not looking winded in the least. _Way to go, _she says, flicking her wing at some spiraling black mist, _you pulled it off_.

"Yeah," I say out loud, not bothering with telepathy. "We did." I pull myself to my feet, ignoring the reawakening pain in my left arm. I survey the field, now only occupied by a small surviving group of Gaea's troops, all surrounded by my own. "Well, I guess we should properly introduce ourselves, eh?"

**A/N: Yeah, finally finished with chapter 1! Hope you guys enjoyed it. This chapter was written a little quickly, so there will probably be some edits later. I wanted to get it out on Percy's B-Day. As I said, this is Tartarus based off the new U.S. cover, so I basically see it as mostly dark volcanic fields. I'm not really sure if it's addressed in the series, but in here, friendly monsters go to Tartarus as well, mainly so I can give Percy a fighting chance and make this more interesting. Not really sure if they do, but I'd assume so. Anyway, not really sure how often I'll get to update since school's started, but I'll try to keep you guys in the loop and update you on my profile. As always, thanks for reading, reviews are appreciated, and I'll see ya next time. **


	3. Daily Routine

**A/N: Hey guys! Sorry for the long wait, but Chapter II's finally here! I can already tell this one will need some serious editing later when I look back on it, but I suppose this will do for now. Gods of Olympus, thanks to all this story's followers and favoriters; you guys are freaking amazing. PLEASE READ A/N ON THE BOTTOM, ESPECIALLY IF YOU CARE ABOUT SPOILERS FOR THE HOUSE OF HADES. There aren't any in this chapter.**

Chapter II

(Annabeth POV)

"As you can see," I announce, gesturing to a couple heaps of stone and marble, "New Athens is still being built upon; a constant work in progress. We have plans to construct another wing of houses and a university for older campers in the near future." My tour group's eyes dart around, taking in all the sights, a hint of wonder tingeing their gazes. I can't blame them; even I still find it pretty amazing. In many ways, the city holds multiple similarities to New Rome, mainly due to Roman architects and workers playing a major role in the city's construction; although I have my own plans on how to give it more of the "Greek" touch.

This time around, my tour is composed of around seven older teenagers and a couple adults near their late thirties, along, of course, with Blackjack, who takes his usual post by my side, as in just about every other moment of the day. . Most of the elder ones tend to be children of minor gods, their lives usually kept clean of the monster bombardment that the Twelve Olympian's kids face. Their subtler scent to monsters is the only reason they've survived this long outside of camp, and even then they're fairly rare.

_And now we move onto the sensitive subject, _I remind myself, bracing for their unpredictable responses. "As I said before, New Athens didn't exist up until five years ago, thanks to the help of Roman engineers, architects, and builders."

Then, just as in every group I've ever had, someone steps forward to ask the million drachma question. This time, it's one of the older demigods. "Romans?" he asks, raising an eyebrow. Everyone around him shares the same look of confusion.

I take a deep breath. Most of us have gotten used to Camp Jupiter and the idea of Romans by now that it can be easy to forget how alien they seem to demigods who've been living outside our borders.

"Yes, Romans," I confirm, nodding. "For those of you who choose to stay, you will learn more about them and how we came to the union that stands today. But to make an incredibly long story short, five years ago we came across the existence of another demigod camp, Camp Jupiter. As some of you may know, our gods have two different forms: Greek and Roman. The half-bloods in Camp Jupiter are children of their godly parent's Roman aspect, where all of the campers here are born of their Greek side."

One teenager, looking around 18, raises his hand shyly. I smile, nodding in his direction. "Um," he starts, uncertainty in his voice, "didn't the Greeks and Romans, you know, hate each other's guts?"

My smile quickly fades. Blackjack snorts lightly, casting me a side glance. "For many years…yes." I pick through my words carefully. "Just as Greece and Rome had a great rivalry so many years ago, their demigods have been feuding right along beside them. But as I told you, five years ago we made our peace. We decided the mindless fighting had to end. Greek or Roman, we are all children of the gods and face the same hardships.

"Together, we have shared many useful ideas and collaborated on a vast amount of projects. In fact," I say, gesturing to the buildings around me, "New Athens is an idea based off Camp Jupiter's own city, New Rome. It is thanks to them that this place even exists, and thanks to their help that it has come so far in such a short time."

A low murmur shifts through the crowd, many of their voices excited, a few unsure. They have every right to be conflicted; I figure it probably wouldn't be a good idea now to mention that our friends to the West nearly burnt Camp Half-Blood to the ground during the Giant War.

"Hey Annabeth!" A loud shout calls my name from above. I turn my head up to the sky, a grin returning to my face. My group backs away swiftly as a giant eagle lights down next to me, gently setting down a dark skinned, curly haired girl in the process. Blackjack hops backward to avoid being hit.

"Hazel, Frank!" I pull Hazel into a hug. Frank hops up next to us, the only thing separating him from any legion eagle being a paw print pendent that hangs around his feathered neck that allows him to speak in animal form. "What are you two doing here early?"

Hazel pulls away, shrugging her shoulders. "We wanted to get here ahead of the crowd. Reyna said to tell you to expect them near sunset."

I nod. "I was going to head out there anyway to see how many are coming this year." A low grunt sounds off to my left, and I nearly slap my palm to my forehead. "Gods, I'm sorry everyone," I turn to address my nervous looking group, shaking my head. "Speaking of Romans, this is Hazel Levesque, daughter of Pluto, and Frank Zhang, son of Mars. I gesture to each of them in turn. "They are both top representatives of Camp Jupiter."

"New Families, huh?" Hazel nods towards them. "Welcome to union."

"So," one of the adults chimes in, "these are Roman representatives?"

Frank shakes out his enormous wings. "Yup," he caws cheerily, "that'd be us."

Once again, my tour puts some distance between themselves and the talking eagle. I step up and nudge Frank's wing. "Frank, you're scaring them."

He throws me a look of perplexion before glancing back to the group, and then looking back at himself. His feathers ruffle in embarrassment. "Sorry," he squawks, his body quickly becoming smaller and his feathers and beak receding as he changes back into his normal form.

"Ah, I suppose I should have mentioned: Frank is a sort of… shape-shifter."

Hazel just chuckles and turns her attention back towards me. "Have you seen my brother anywhere?"

I nod towards the camp. "I'm pretty sure I saw him in the arena with Mrs. O'Leary."

"Thanks!" Hazel takes off down the street towards the city 'gates', her hair flying behind her.

"Bye!" Frank follows her lead, bolting after Hazel and shifting into a German Shepard as he runs.

"Frank!" I yell after him.

"Sorry!" his howl echoes across the plaza as he continues on, loping over the city boundaries.

I just sigh and shake my head, a grin playing on my lips. "Okay, let's move on." I motion my tour to follow me as I head toward the craft pavilion, Blackjack returning to his position next to me. "One of our last stops is the craft pavilion, which is a small circle of shops we dedicate to different crafts. There's ceramics, painting, blacksmithing, etc., usually led by older campers." I take them to the far right of the city, past most of the main buildings and slightly downhill, and stop near the middle of the stairwell leading down.

Before I can introduce anything else, however, I spot a column of dark spiraling into the pale blue sky. I glance around, finding the source to be the blacksmith shop. A chorus of coughs emanate from the entrance as a few campers pour out of the squat building. And of course, the last one out following the rest is a dark skinned- curly-haired boy with a mischievous grin on his face, only interrupted as he coughs his lungs out.

That's when I actually do a face palm, shaking my head. "Leo!" I yell, taking in a gulp of clean air before stepping up to the smoking building.

He quickly swivels towards me, his smile turning innocent as he straightens up and clears his throat. "Hey Annie," he says, extending an arm out to lean against the shop. "Something wro—"

"What'd you do?" I cut in, crossing my arms.

"Well—"

"Wait." I do a one-eighty. "Everyone, please wait here while I deal with an…issue. Feel welcome to take a look around. Alright," I motion Leo into the shadows, hopefully getting out of anyone else's earshot. "Continue."

"So," he starts, as if waiting for me to cut him off. I wave my hand to continue. "So, I was _carefully _teaching some of the campers how to wire an automaton watch dog. Long story short, one of them got the wiring wrong, it tried to kill us, and I had to blow it up. But don't worry; I put out the fire." He raises his black-coated hands. "Mostly."

A shrill, panicked whinny suddenly sounds out from the pavilion, and I'm greeted by the sight of Blackjack galloping around in circles, his hooves and wings flailing as he swipes metal shapes out of the air. A bronze hawk makes contact with one wing, screeching as it plummets to the marble. Its body shatters into hundreds of tiny gears.

A light growl rises in the back of my throat as I take out my knife and stride over to the cluster of rouge machines. I raise my blade, breaking the joint of a wing belonging to a bronze eagle. It immediately crashes to the ground, following the hawk's fate. I take out a snapping raccoon with a strong kick. The rest seem to get the message and scurry back into the still smoke-encased building. A couple slam into the walls and doorframe before realizing their mistake and dash into the entrance.

By now, all eyes within a hundred feet are focused on the mechanical carnage. The campers nearby casually pick shiny fragments out of their hair and shirts.

I mumble curses under my breath, sheath my knife, and storm back over to Leo, grabbing his arm and yanking him back into the alley. "Leo," I snarl, "what's with all the automatons? I already told you to lower the quota after last time. None of us need another "Automaton Uprising"."

He smiles nervously. "Oh come on. It wasn't that bad."

"Really?" I cross my arms. "They burned down three cabins."

"Well—"

I jab a finger at his chest. "Including _mine_."

He runs a hand through his curly mane, momentarily setting a cluster of strands on fire before quickly patting them out. "I said I was sorry. Besides, I fixed the cabins. And no one was hurt."

"Let's see." I start counting on my fingers. "Your horses destroyed nearly a quarter of the strawberry fields. The T-Rex took off part of the Big House's roof. Then there were the crocodiles in the toilets…should I go on?"

He waves his hand. "Okay, okay. Point taken."

"And dismantle the ones you have."

"All of them?! What about Festus's brother? Are you going to make me break heart?"

"He's a bronze dragon; he doesn't technically have a heart." _Technically. _I almost feel a stab of guilt. During everyone on the Argo II's quest to the House of Hades, Festus became far more than just a hunk metal.

Leo huffs. "Yes he does. I made him one two months ago. Besides, just look at his face." He gestures to the distant sky where the Argo II floats moored to Half-Blood Hill. The Bronze Dragon's head sits mounted to the bow, his nostrils sending up occasional streams of wispy smoke. From this distance, I can barely even make out the shape of his gleaming figure.

"Okay." I sigh. "You can keep Happy and Olive Beak. Pick five others but dismantle the rest."

"Come on Annabeth; How do you expect me to choose?"

"Do it or I'm cutting your Iron Man budget." Since the end of the giant war, Leo's been attempting to build a fully functioning Iron Man suit. So far, he's failed.

He gasps mockingly then points a finger at me. "You're a heartless women."

"I pride in it. Now get started on taking them apart and cleaning up this mess. I'll be back in a few hours to check on your progress."

Before he can rebuttal, I stride out of the shadows, making my way back to Blackjack. "You alright, BJ?"

He lets out a string of deep nickers. Based on the look in his eyes and the way he's stomping his hoof, it's probably nothing clean.

"I know boy." I pat his shoulder. "C'mon. We're almost through with the tour."

He bobs his head as I pick out a couple more stray flecks of crushed metal from his mane before leading him back to the center of the circle. A sharp whistle is all it takes for my tour to regroup into a small semicircle around me. "All right everyone, very sorry about this little incident. I promise this doesn't happen often."

_Only a small lie._

"Anyway, the demigod I was speaking to was Leo Valdez, our counselor for the Hephaestus and our chief of mechanics." As I motion them to follow me, walking past the outskirts of the cluster, I take a moment to whisper loudly "I promise he's more competent then he seems. Leo's just a bit…eccentric. Now, let's move on," I say louder. "We have on more stop before I hand you off."

I guide them back up the hill to the most central plaza of New Athens, with Blackjack taking up the rear. Facing the city gates to the east stand five statues in a half circle, all roughly about twelve feet tall without the large pedestals. From left to right: Frank, standing tall with bow and quiver at the ready, a large grizzly bear sitting tamely beside him. Next is hazel and Arion standing side by side, the horse's head lowered beside her head. Jason dominates attention in the center, dressed in his camp shirt with an eagle perched on his shoulder. Piper's to his left, her reflective knife held out in front of her. Last in the lineup is Leo, a real flame flickering in his outstretched palm. Festus crouches next to him.

"These," I announce, sweeping my hand in front of them, "are statues dedicated to the seven demigods of the Second Great Prophecy. The other two…" I shake my head and clear my throat. "The remaining two stand at the main entrance to the city."

It doesn't take long to see a flash of recognition in most of their eyes. I nod in response. "Frank and Hazel, as well as Leo, are part of the Seven. The other two, Jason Grace and Piper McLean, will be here tonight.

"Actually, you've all come at a great time. This is our "Week of the Seven", where from August 12th to August 18th, we set aside a day for each member of the Seven. It's a big celebration in both camps, and a way to remember all of the demigods and allies of ours who fought and gave so much in the past war.

"Now, that's the end of the general tour. Before I pass you off to Chiron, are there any questions?"

One again, the same shy teenager raises his hand.

"Yes?"

"Why are there so many campers walking around in armor?"

I scrunch my eyebrows together, swinging my body towards the city's entrance. Sure enough, three campers stroll past the open gap. A couple more pairs stand around the city, along with another small group visible at the peak of Half-Blood Hill, their blood-red breastplates glowing in the direct sunlight. A few more of the Ares kids, along with a couple blue-clad Hermes children, remain stationed near the Big House.

"Ah, the guards. Most of them are children of Ares, though all of the cabins take shifts. Don't worry about them much." I force a fixed smile on my face. "They're only here as an extra precaution. Some people got paranoid after the war, and requested greater security around camp borders, especially since the city was built."

"But why so many?" another pipes up.

I rehearse the lines in my head. "As I said, some got paranoid. The camp was large to begin with, and the city's construction has forced us to expand the old boundary lines. To a minor degree, they also take care of any fights that break out. More than anything else, the guards are here as a way to put everyone's minds at ease."

The majority nod in agreement, and I let out a sigh of relief. "Anything else?" No one speaks up. "Okay," I check my watch., "we've finished a little earlier than expected. Chiron will be here in a couple minutes, so all of you can wait here in the main plaza. Again, I'm Annabeth Chase, and if any of you do come up with a question, I'll be around. Those of you who choose to stay will get a more in-depth orientation from me later. Alright everyone, I hope to see you all tonight."

They soon disperse across the open area, leaving me alone with Blackjack. "Well that wasn't' too bad," I comment.

The black pegasus huffss, shaking out his mane and feathers, small metallic bits dislodging themselves.

"I never said it was our best. But at least this time you didn't get your tail burnt off."

He shakes his head, his tail twitching irritably.

I chuckle. "Don't worry. We've only got one more errand today. Let's get it over with; the sooner we arrive in New Rome, the sooner we can get back and relax."

He canters after me as I jog to the city's limits. The enormous shadow of the pegasus-wing arch passes over us as I wave to the guards before speeding into a run. Blackjack follows my lead down the slope, slowing down as we re-enter the valley. Situated directly in front of us are the stables. A small herd of unicorns graze peacefully in the recently built pasture.

We make our way around to the opposite side; the area where we now keep the flying chariots. The moment we near the corner, BJ lets out a snort as he stomps his front hoof and shakes his head.

I roll my eyes. "Yes, we're taking the chariot. It's faster and you know it."

He continues to protest as we round the side of the stables, only seeming to get more annoyed once he notices the trio of white pegasi already hooked up. He turns to me, his eyes half-closed as if asking: _Really?_

I bump his side with my shoulder. "you can deal with them for a few mintues. Besides, it's less effort on your part."

He just lets out a huge breath as I start strapping him into the harness. The moment I fasten the straps around him, he bobs his snout towards the pegasus to his right and whinnies deeply. The white horse responds by whacking Blackjack's forehead with a wing. He quickly counters with a bite at the other's mane.

"Enough!" I lock my arms together and glare at the two frustrated pegasi. "It's a short trip. Get over it. Look, if we can get there without you four killing each other, I promise we can stop at Dunkin' Donuts on the way back. Deal?"

Both immediately straighten up, their heads pointed forward and their ears held erect. "That's better." I stroll around to the back of the chariot, hopping in and wrapping the weathered reigns around my hands.

Just as every time I leave the valley, a weak anxiety rises in my chest, almost choking me. I take a moment to survey the surrounding terrain, my eyes focusing on the camp's guard. At least three dozen cross my line of vision. "Tartarus has made you paranoid," I scold myself. "Camp Half-Blood and New Athens is safe, and they'll both survive without you for a couple hours."

Still, the same feeling of panic crushes my ribcage as I pull at the reigns, signaling the pegasi to start their take-off.

**A/N: So, yeah, definitely not the best chapter that'll come out. I don't know; I guess I wasn't quite feeling it. I'll just have to rewrite some stuff later. I really meant to update earlier, but you know, school. And I had to read the House of Hades the day it came out. 8 straight hours of reading. Just so you guys know, the story will be a bit revised due to the House of Hades release, because I hate straying too far from canon fact (besides the obvious). I don't believe there will be any spoilers in the next chapter either, but after that I can pretty much say there will be some big ones. But hopefully by then, almost everyone will have gotten the opportunity to read it. So anyway, thank all of you for reading; I hope this didn't disappoint you too much****. Oh, and the idea for Leo's side project comes from percyjacksonheadcanons on Tumblr, number 1152****. Seriously, they're all entertaining. Anyway, feel free to PM me. BYE! :) **


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